


A Spectacular! New Year's Eve

by PinkGerberDaisies



Series: Spectacular! Universe [2]
Category: Broadway RPF, Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, Music, Romance, Song Lyrics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 05:59:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17238710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkGerberDaisies/pseuds/PinkGerberDaisies
Summary: Let's finish off 2018 with some fun and start 2019 with a bang!Broadway stars Scott and Tessa are invited to perform at 54 Below on New Year's Eve.A Spectacular! Spectacular! sequel/oneshot





	A Spectacular! New Year's Eve

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is, as promised. I hope you all enjoy it! <3
> 
> Happy New Year!

 

Tessa looks at herself in the bright lights of the dressing room mirror and takes a few deep breaths in and out as she runs her hands down her emerald green jumpsuit – smoothing out any nonexistent wrinkles and double checking the tie of the bow just above her left hip. Her hair is pulled up into a bouncy ponytail with the perfect amount of curls, her make-up is pretty, without being too heavy, and sprayed to death so that it won’t melt under the hot lights, and her outfit fits her perfectly.

She should feel confident. After all, this is just one night singing a few showtunes, not an entire performance, and yet she feels almost as nervous as she did before stepping out onto the stage at the Emerson for the first time – and that time had been in a corset!

She and Scott had been invited to perform at Feinstein’s / 54 Below for New Year’s Eve, one more honor in a year of honors and surprises, and although she’s excited, now that it’s here she can’t help but feel nervous. It’s one thing to perform in character, another thing entirely to be yourself, and the knowledge that this time she’ll be in front of an audience as _Tessa Virtue_ without the reassurance of the mask that comes with playing a character has her on the verge of throwing up.

On top of that, although they’d been told they could pick their solo songs, the idea that the audience would be expecting some romantic duets and a couple numbers from Moulin Rouge had been heavily reinforced as they discussed with the club manager what songs they would be performing, so she knows she and Scott are definitely about to add more fuel to the fire regarding the dating rumors circulating online about them.

(She stalks the broadway.com message boards. She knows.)

She’s used to it by now – being in love with Scott on stage – but there’s something more personal about it just being the two of them as themselves singing ballads and lovey-dovey duets while an audience watches. Their relationship might be Broadway’s open secret at this point, but it’s still weird flaunting something so intimate on stage. She’s not sure she’ll ever feel completely okay about it.  

Someone knocks on her door to the melody of _Shave and a Haircut_ , leaving the last two notes for her to respond with, and she walks over to the door and raps on it with her knuckles in two quick bursts.

_Scott_.

She opens the door with a relieved smile and open arms, only to find him leaning against the frame in his nicest pair of jeans and a black button-down shirt and staring at her like she’s Little Red and he’s the wolf come to eat her up. The friendly smile on his face turning downright sinful as his eyes rake over her body.

“Damn, Virtch. Are you _trying_ to kill me?”

“You like it?” She does a little spin, very much enjoying his reaction. She loves getting a rise out of him with each new outfit, which is why she’d kept her choice for tonight a secret – insisting he wait for the big reveal before the show. It’s incredibly gratifying to know that he appreciates her choice.

Appreciates it a lot, based on his expression.

Scott reaches out and traces the deep V with the tips of his fingers, down one side and up the other, leaving a trail of fire in his wake and stealing all the air from her lungs in one fell swoop.

“Yeah, I like it. It makes your eyes go kapow!”

He makes a little exploding motion with his hands and Tessa laughs, stepping aside so that he can come into her tiny dressing room.

He pulls her into his arms the second the door is closed, syncing up their breathing as had become their pre-show ritual back in Boston, and Tessa feels her body relaxing in response to his. It’s second-nature by this point, and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t love how responsive her body is to his - allowing him to calm her nerves.

“It’s gonna be an amazing night, T,” Scott whispers into the crook of her neck, kissing her there and sending shivers up her spine.

“I know, but I’m nervous,” She admits, holding onto him a little tighter – trying to borrow some of his quiet reassurance. He’s performed here before, but she never has, and it’s intimidating as hell to be following in the footsteps of some of Broadway's greatest singers.

“Don’t think of it as _us_ up there,” He says quietly, as if somehow he knows exactly what she’d been stressing out about moments before he came into the room, “Think of us as playing characters named Scott and Tessa. The Broadway stars, not the people who ate ten pounds of fudge last week in Ontario and wasted my nephews and nieces in a game of Sorry.”

Tessa hums and snuggles in a little closer, conscious of her make-up and making an effort not to smear it on his nice shirt, “You’re right. I’ll try to think of it that way.”

“Tessa?” Her door opens just a crack and Jennifer, the manager, pops her head in, “Oh, and Scott, perfect. We’re ready for you on stage.”

“We’re coming,” Scott answers her, stepping backwards out of the hug, and Tessa drops her hands back down to her side just as he does the same. His hands don’t move far though, and it’s a relief to feel him lacing their fingers together as they follow Jennifer out of the room.

"We’ve got this, T. We’re gonna be _spectacular_.”

 

 

54 Below can seat one hundred and forty-seven people. Tessa knows this because she looked it up the second they were asked to perform. It’s significantly less than the typical Broadway theatre, but the rectangular, dimly lit room still feels impossibly crowded as she makes her way to the elevated stage amid cheering and clapping.

Scott enters from the other side, keeping his eyes on hers and smiling at her encouragingly as they wait for the band to begin. They’d been asked if they wanted to open the show by talking or singing first, and had mutually agreed on a song to get things started right away and encourage the right atmosphere.

(They’d joked about doing something sexy and edgy like a dance routine to _4 Minutes_ , but ultimately vetoed that out of fear of being booed out of the room.)

In the end they’d chosen something more classic, and as the band picks up their instruments and starts playing the first few notes of the song they’d picked Tessa takes one last deep, fortifying breath – silently repeating to herself that this is just another character – and steps onto the stage and begins to sing, “Why do they think up stories that link my name with yours?”

“Why do the neighbors gossip all day behind their doors?” Scott steps onto the stage from the opposite side, fully in character as the swaggering, teasing Curly from _Oklahoma!_ , and Tessa finds herself slipping into the character of Laurie more easily as she follows his lead.

They’ve always been good at playing off each other.

She can do this.

“I know a way to prove what they say is quite untrue! Here is the gist, a practical list, of don’t’s for you,” Tessa winks at him and the audience laughs. They’d picked this song on purpose to mock themselves a little bit – making the whole room feel like they’re in on the joke - and get the audience laughing and having a good time. It’s an old classic, easily recognizable, and it’s fun for them to tease each other on stage about how terrible they really are at keeping their feelings a secret.

Which, if you ask their siblings, or parents, or friends, or nieces and nephews, or cast mates, they are dreadfully hopeless at.

 

_Don’t throw bouquets at me_

_Don’t please my folks too much_

_Don’t laugh at my jokes too much_

_People will say we’re in love_

_Don’t sigh and gaze at me_

_Your sighs are so like mine_

_Your eyes mustn’t glow like mine_

_People will say we’re in love!_

 

Scott grins and plays along, hamming it up to the audience while she sings the rest of her part before stepping in close behind her and placing his hands on her upper arms while smiling smugly at her, “Some people claim that you are to blame as much as I. Why do you take the trouble to bake my favorite pie? Grantin’ your wish I carved our initials on that tree. Just keep a slice of all the advice ya give so free.”

His hands slide around her so that she’s being embraced from behind, and Tessa leans into it while he sings the next couple of verses. Lacing their fingers together just as his voice drops a little quieter on the line about her hand feeling grand in his, and Tessa can’t help the genuine little smile on her face that replaces her playful one for just a second.

 

_Don’t praise my charm too much_

_Don’t look so vain with me_

_Don’t stand in the rain with me_

_People will say we’re in love_

_Don’t take my arm too much_

_Don’t keep your hand in mine_

_Your hand feels so grand in mine_

_People will say we’re in love!_

_Don’t dance all night with me_

_‘Til the stars fade from above_

_They’ll see it’s alright with me!_

_People will say we’re in love!_

The audience erupts into cheers while the notes swell and Scott belts out the last few words, and he smiles at her before lifting her left hand to his mouth and kissing it tenderly. It’s unscripted, but Tessa figures people will probably brush off the action as part of the song.

Scott drops her hand and grabs the microphone, turning to the audience with a massive, megawatt smile, “We’d like to welcome all of you to 54 Below! Tessa and I are so glad that you could join us tonight as we ring in the new year. As you may know, Tess and I are Canadian, but we’re very grateful you’ve allowed us to take over your club here in New York City for the night. It’s not often Canada gets to invade anything, so… sorry,” Scott makes a funny frowning face and everyone laughs, including Tessa. His natural charm oozes through everything that he does and she’s content to stand back and let him work.  

Somebody in the far back goes _WOO_ at the mention of their home country and Scott lifts his head up, looking around eagerly until he finds that person waving at them and shouting “Go Canada!” with a Blue Jays jersey on.

Tessa purses her lips together to keep from laughing, but she can tell Scott’s noticed it too because his eyes catch hers and he rolls them slightly before addressing the man, “Looks like we have a fellow Canadian with us tonight!” Scott waves, “Where are you from, man?”

“Mushaboom!”

“Mushaboom? That’s unfortunate,” Scott makes another face and everybody laughs, “Too bad about your choice of baseball teams, too.”

“I wore it for her!” The man yells back, pointing at Tessa, and she laughs and waves at him, blowing a kiss for good measure – just to make Scott grumble.

“I appreciate a man with _taste_ ,” She says, looking over at Scott with a coy smile, “So thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah. We can argue baseball teams later,” Scott mutters, waving his hand dismissively at her, and Tessa laughs.

Someday. Someday she’ll convince him the Jays are far superior to the Tigers, but for now they’ve agreed to call a truce and mutually support the Red Sox (the world series had been a particular highlight this year, and they’re still riding the high from that).

“I’d like to start off by introducing our team up here. This is our music director Steven, Micah, Allison, and Bruno in the band, and of course, my lovely partner on this stage and at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre this coming summer, Miss Tessa Virtue,” Scott spreads his arm out wide to gesture for her to take over, and Tessa steps up to her own microphone.

She searches through the sea of faces until she finds the booth in the back where Jordan, Holly, Holly's girlfriend Chloe, and Scott’s friend Chiddy are sitting together, and the three of them smile and wave when they catch her looking. Tessa grins back at them – feeling her confidence surging even more with their added support.  

“Hello everybody! Wow. I’m still trying to catch my breath. Scott and I are so, so lucky to be here and are so grateful to have been invited to help celebrate New Year’s Eve and share some of our favorite songs with you.”

"It’s Monday night at eleven o’clock so what better place to be than here, right!?” Scott jumps in, gesticulating wildly and scooting his microphone a little closer to hers, “There’s music, drinks, good food, and we don’t have to stand outside in the freezing cold waiting for Ryan Seacrest’s balls to drop.”

Everyone laughs at Scott’s joke while Tessa rolls her eyes good-naturedly and carries on with the politer version of their introduction, “We’re very excited about the show we have prepared for you tonight. Our aim was to mix together a little old and new, some fast and some slow, and share some fun stories in between.”

“Stories like the fact that Tessa hated me when we first met,” Scott bumps her shoulder with his fist and winks at the audience, eliciting another round of laughter, and Tessa scoffs loudly in protest.

“I did not!”

“She absolutely did. I spilled my coffee all over her, and then I doubted her ability to play Satine. We got along about as well as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.”

“Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis,” Tessa suggests mischievously.

“Simon and Garfunkel,” Scott shoots back and Tessa frowns.

“Now that one just makes me sad.”

"But she rose to the challenge _spectacularly_ ,” He grins and bumps her shoulder again, and Tessa returns it with a bump of her own.

“We challenged each other a lot back then,” She smiles coquetishly and Scott huffs out a laugh.

“Only back then? You challenged every song I suggested for tonight, Virtch!”

“Well some of them were truly terrible. Nobody wants to hear us sing _Never Gonna Give You Up_ or  _What's New Pussycat_!”  

"She thinks she can do everything better than I can.”

“Well,” She lingers, winking at the audience while Scott looks offended, and everyone laughs at them, “If the shoe fits.”

The music starts for their next song and Tessa steps right into it, “Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you!”

“No you can’t!” Scott jumps in and their playful second duet begins. It’s the perfect homage to their early days, which they can both freely laugh about now – and often do, teasing each other mercilessly at every opportunity. It’s amazing how much genuine antagonism they had for each other considering where they’ve ended up, and some days Tessa still can't quite believe how lucky she is.

Scott really plays it up for the audience and Tessa follows along until everyone is laughing and getting involved with cheering and jeers.

“I can do most anything!” He sings proudly, puffing out his chest, and Tessa follows it up with, “Can you bake a pie?”

“No.”

“Neither can I,” Tessa shrugs and Scott laughs along with the audience. He knows better than anyone just how true that statement is.

They finish up the song, belting out their last notes in perfect harmony as the audience roars, and once they’ve taken their little bows Tessa steps off the stage to take a seat to the side so that Scott can do his first solo number.

The waiter offers her a glass of water and she takes it willingly, gulping down almost half of it in one go while she can. He’d kept this one choice a secret, but she has a feeling she knows what it will be and having anything in her mouth while he sings it could be a choking hazard.

“Music has always been a big part of my life,” Scott begins calmly, addressing the audience like they’re old friends, “I started singing when I was really young, which definitely drove my parents and older brothers crazy. My brothers used to sit on my head until I’d shut up, actually. But I think my mom knew, before anybody else did, that there was something there worth pursuing – or maybe she just wanted me out of the house – either way, she enrolled me in few drama and music classes.”

It’s amazing to watch how naturally he interacts with the audience and how they hang on his every word, laughing at all the right parts and nodding their heads. Tessa can relate, she finds him captivating, too. She’s never been very good at taking her eyes off him, and now’s no different.

“In 2009 I was incredibly lucky to be picked by Arthur Laurents to play Tony in _West Side Story_ ,” There’s a chorus of cheers, the loudest coming from Chiddy in the back, and Scott grins at his friend before continuing, “Thank you. It was my big break and I really learned a lot from the role, as well as gained a few life-long friendships, and it’s nice to hear from fans who enjoyed the cast recording,” His eyes shift slyly over to her and Tessa can feel herself blushing under stage lights, “And I’d love to sing a special song for you now to honor that experience.”  

_Shit_ , she was right. He’s going to sing _Maria_ and she’s probably going to die.

Oh well, it’s been a good life. She has very few complaints, and oh, what a way to go.

The first quiet notes begin as Scott steps up to the microphone and starts to sing, “The most beautiful sound I ever heard. Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria. All the beautiful sounds of the world in a single word. Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria, I just met a girl named Maria, and suddenly that name will never be the same to me-”

It’s transcendent and Tessa’s eyes close of their own accord – her whole body getting swept up in the rapture of hearing him sing the song live. It’s like he has a direct connection to every cell in her body and she gives herself over to the overwhelming feeling.

If she lives to be one hundred years old, she’ll never grow tired of his voice.

“The most beautiful sound I ever heard… Maria.” Scott holds the last note, fading it out beautifully as the audience around them erupts into cheers and applause, but it’s Tessa’s face he finds as soon as the song is over – his eyes meeting hers with a knowing smile meant only for her.

_Thank you,_ she mouths at him – trying to convey all of her emotions without anyone seeing her or giving into the urge to grab him by the belt loops on his pants and drag him back to her dressing room so that she can have her wicked way with him.

The owners probably wouldn’t be too thrilled if they ended the show early, even if Tessa considers desperately needing to fuck your boyfriend a very valid reason.  

“Thank you, thank you,” Scott turns away from her, the heat in his eyes promising _later_ , “Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my great pleasure to introduce our very own sparkling diamond, Miss Tessa Virtue.”

The way he lingers on the word pleasure is almost enough to send her thoughts spiraling again before she’s even got a handle on them, but she’s got a job to do and she is a _professional_ , goddammit, so Tessa steps back onto the stage as Scott leaves it.

She looks down at the floor, pausing for dramatic effect, before slowly looking up at the audience with the most sultry look she can manage. The one she’d perfected over the summer in Boston, and she knows she has them when she smirks and there’s a collective gasp around the room.

“The French are glad to die for love…”  

The audience gets into the familiar song immediately, and Tessa has a blast getting into character as Satine and sashaying around the room with her microphone in her hand, getting the whole crowd involved.

“’Cuz we are living in a material world and I am a material girl!” She blows a kiss at Scott and he catches it and brings it to his chest before pretending to faint, earning a laugh from everybody, and Tessa grins at him before continuing.

By the time she hits the last few notes, purposely making her voice go a little raspy as she sings, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” She’s got the whole room in the palm of her hand.

It’s exhilarating.

_This_ , Tessa thinks as she takes a bow amid the resounding applause, _this is why I do this job_.

Scott’s still clapping as he steps back onto the stage, finding his microphone again, “Wasn’t she amazing? Imagine getting to witness that every single night – how blessed am I? Tess and I are going to do another little duet for you now. We figured since we’re in New York, the city of dreams, it would be fitting to sing a song that pays tribute to that. And no,” He chuckles, anticipating the audience’s thoughts, “This isn’t a Sinatra song or _Empire State of Mind_.”

“This is actually a song from one of our favorite recent movies. And yes, it was only a year ago even though I know that will seem impossible,” Tessa chuckles and the audience does as well. In many ways it’s felt like 2018 has flown by, but it’s also been a weird year that’s felt like it’s stretched on forever, and she finds it hard to believe herself just how much has changed.

The pianist starts to play the opening notes to _A Million Dreams_ from The Greatest Showman and Scott starts to sing.

They’ve rehearsed it a few times, and every once in a while Scott likes to sing along to the soundtrack while making dinner, but when he gets to the second verse she feels a notable shift in the air between them.

 

_There's a house we can build_

_Every room inside is filled_

_With things from far away_

_The special things I compile_

_Each one there to make you smile_

_On a rainy day_

 

There’s something about the way he looks at her, as if he’s trying to convey some deeper meaning, and Tessa feels an added weight of her verse as she starts singing – not missing the way Scott seems to hang on her words like he never has before. Like she’s telling him something he longs to hear.

 

_However big, however small_

_Let me be part of it all_

_Share your dreams with me_

_You may be right, you may be wrong_

_But say that you'll bring me along_

_To the world you see_

_To the world I close my eyes to see_

_I close my eyes to see_

 

The last line lingers in the air and Tessa finds Scott’s hand with hers so that she can give him a reassuring squeeze. She’s not sure exactly what message he was trying to convey, but she wants him to know that she meant every word of her part. She wants to be a part of it all with him.

Scott smiles softly at her and then lets go, remembering that they have a whole room of people with them and getting back on track with the introduction for the next song while Tessa takes her seat again.

“Okay so as we are at 54 Below which is also known as Broadway’s nightclub, how about we do a little more Broadway? This song is from the classic Rogers & Hammerstein musical Carousel and is one of my favorites. The role of Billy Bigalow was originally supposed to be played by Frank Sinatra, but after two months of rehearsals and a few days of filming he had to bow out and it went to Gordon MacRae instead. Now, the story of Carousel might be a bit… outdated, but Sinatra said this is the best male role in a musical ever written and I agree that the music is phenomenal. I especially love this particular song, and I’d like to sing it for you now.”

 

_If I loved you_

_Time and again I would try to say_

_All I’d want you to know_

Tessa sits back and enjoys letting his voice wash over her again, but before she can get overwhelmed she catches Jordan staring at her a little too knowingly, and Holly bumps her shoulder as they whisper something and giggle, and Tessa instantly shoots up straight in her chair.

She never should have let them sit together. There’s no way they’re ever going to let her live this down, and if Holly hasn’t told Jordan about the whole _Roxanne_ debacle from this summer yet, she definitely will.

_Yep_ , Tessa thinks as the two women laugh together again, _I can never speak to either of them or look them in the face again._

She tilts her chin up and turns back to Scott, determined not to get sucked in – no matter how amazing his voice is or how earnestly he sings the lyrics.

_If I loved you_

_Words wouldn’t come in an easy way_

_Round in circles I’d go_

_Longing to tell you,_

_But afraid and shy_

_I’d let my golden chances_

_Pass me by_

_Soon you’d leave me_

_Off you would go in the midst of day_

_Never, never to know_

_How I loved you_

_If I loved you_

The piano blends into the melody for the next song that Scott plans to link together with the first, and he transitions seamlessly into it, keeping the audience (and Tessa, despite her best efforts) entranced.  

 

_When the rain is blowin’ in your face_

_And the whole world is on your case_

_I could offer you a warm embrace_

_To make you feel my love_

Suddenly Tessa finds herself transported back to when the two of them had rented an AirBnB in the Hamptons (having found a surprisingly good deal online) for Labor Day weekend, and as Scott sings she can almost imagine they're on that warm, sunny beach. Scott’s arms wrapping around her as they watched the sunset over the ocean.

She’d known then with a certainty that should have scared her but somehow didn’t, that this was _it_. That the man holding her so tenderly was her _forever_.

She hasn’t told him yet, but somehow as he sings to her tonight – his eyes finding hers again and again as he sings words of love – she feels like he knows, and he feels the same way.

 

_I could make you happy, make your dreams come true_

_There's nothing that I wouldn't do_

_Go to the ends of this Earth for you_

_To make you feel my love, oh yes_

_To make you feel my love_

He looks right at her as he sings the last few lines and Tessa knows they must be the most obvious “secret” couple on the planet, but she really can’t bring herself to care when he looks at her like that. 

“Thank you,” Scott tears his gaze away from her to address the room, and Tessa misses it immediately, “The second song is To Make You Feel My Love which is originally a Bob Dylan song, but I wanted to do a little nod to the Garth Brooks version. The Broadway world can be quite small sometimes, as Tessa and I have learned as we talk about past shows we’ve had the opportunity to perform in. Some of you might know that I performed in _First Date_ with Zachary Levi back in 2013, and I only found out just yesterday that Tessa here went on a date with him.”

Tessa hops back onstage and marches over to her microphone with a laugh, shaking her head back and forth, “It wasn’t really a date so much as we were at the same bar and he bought me and my friend drinks, but Scott won’t let it go.”

“Well it certainly made me wonder why she picked this next song to include tonight, that’s for sure. Some ulterior motive I should know about, Virtch?” He waggles his eyebrows at her and Tessa pretends to nod very seriously.  

“Yes, this is my tribute to my lost love, Zachary,” Tessa sighs dramatically and everyone laughs, including Scott.

“I’m questioning everything I know about you right now, T.”

“Good. I told you when we met I was an enigma,” She winks before starting to sing along with the music.

         

_All those days, watching from the windows_

_All those years, outside looking in_

_All that time never even knowing_

_Just how blind I’ve been_

_Now I’m here, blinking in the starlight_

_Now I’m here, suddenly I see_

_Standing here, it’s oh so clear,_

_I’m where I’m meant to be_

_And at last I see the light_

_And it’s like the fog has lifted_

_And at last I see the light_

_And it’s like the sky is new_

_And it’ warm and real and bright_

_And the world has somehow shifted_

_All at once, everything looks different_

_Now that I see you_

Scott smiles at her oh so tenderly and places his hand gently on her lower back, singing more to her than the audience. Tessa would have expected it to be annoying for everyone in attendance – they’re supposed to be putting on a show, after all, but instead everybody just sighs and smiles, as if there’s nothing they’d enjoy more than watching her and Scott act out a love story.

Although, it’s not really acting, is it? Maybe that's what makes them so compelling. 

 

_All those days, chasing down a daydream_

_All those years, living in a blur_

_All that time, never truly seeing_

_Things the way they were_

_Now she’s here, shining in the starlight_

_Now she’s here, suddenly I know_

_If she’s here, it’s crystal clear_

_I’m where I’m meant to go_

_And at last I see the light_

_And it’s like the fog has lifted_

_And at last I see the light_

_And it’s like the sky is new_

_And it’s warm and real and bright_

_And the world has somehow shifted_

_All at once, everything is different_

_Now that I see you_

_Now that I see you_

They look into each other’s eyes for probably longer than is strictly necessary, but Tessa can’t help it. He’s glowing and she knows her own eyes must be sparkling, and there’s something in his expression that makes her think he has something  _important_ he wants to say to her, but instead he turns them forward again so that they can bow a little bit, before stepping back off the stage so that she can keep moving forward with the program.

They are supposed to be done by midnight, that’s kind of a big deal, given the nature of the event, so they should probably try to spend a little less time mooning over each other.  

Tessa clears her throat and moves onto the introduction for her next solo, trying to ignore the way Scott is still staring at her like she’s his whole world and turning her insides into mush.

“My first memory of a musical was not in the theater. It was at home on a Saturday morning watching an old film on the television, and I remember thinking _wow_ , that woman looks perfect. She was poised and stylish and confident, and she was playing this role called Holly Golightly. It was Audrey Hepburn, and in that instant I wanted to be her. I still do, sometimes. She is my idol in everything, and so I’d like to pay a little tribute to her tonight with this next number.”

 

_Moon river_

_Wider than a mile_

_I’m crossing you in style_

_Someday_

_Oh, dream maker_

_You heart breaker_

_Wherever you’re goin’_

_I’m goin’ your way_

_Two drifters_

_Off to see the world_

_There’s such a lot of world_

_To see_

_We’re after the same rainbow’s end_

_Waitin’ round the bend_

_My huckleberry friend_

_Moon River_

_And me_

 

Tessa repeats the second verse a second time before Scott walks back onto the stage clapping just as enthusiastically as everybody else and daring to pull her in for a quick side hug, “Isn’t she fantastic?”

He continues clapping as she leaves the stage and Tessa blushes furiously at the praise, waving him on so that he’ll start his song instead of continuing to focus on her.

Scott recognizes what she’s doing and claps louder for half a second, making her blush harder, before grinning at her and starting the next introduction, “One of my favorite numbers we do in the stage production of Moulin Rouge is a medley in the second act, and I get to really kind of _go crazy_   with it. One of the central themes of the show, both in the movie and on stage, is the effect jealousy has on a relationship. I’d like to think that’s something I don’t share with my character, but,” Tessa snorts loudly and the audience laughs, “ _But_ unfortunately I relate a little _too_ well. The song is a lot of fun, though, and I hope you’ll enjoy it,”

They’d talked about doing the song as a duet like they do in the show, but ultimately decided to let Scott perform a simplified version his portion of it, and as Tessa sits back and watches the audience’s reaction she knows that was the right choice.

Scott, as Christian, really puts in a lot of emotion to the part and he gets to shine here almost as much as he does during Roxanne. Although not quite - it’s a shame the producers of the show wouldn’t let him sing that one tonight, but they’d insisted that the song needed to be kept as a “special treat” for theatre goers.

Not that Tessa can blame them. She knows firsthand just how _special_ that particular treat can be.

After he finishes up the band leaves the stage and Scott drags two barstools over for each of them, picking up an acoustic guitar that was left behind for him by one of the band members before sitting down, and Tessa walks over and takes the seat next to him.

“Once is a musical based on the 2007 film. It premiered on Broadway in 2012 and won eight Tony Awards. When Tess and I were talking about what we wanted to sing tonight, we kept coming back to this song.”

His voice trembles a little bit in one of his rare display of nerves, and Tessa places her hand on his shoulder for support, taking over the introduction, “Markéta Irglová said in her Oscar acceptance speech that this song was written from a perspective of hope, and that hope at the end of the day is what connects us all, no matter how different we are. Scott and I really love that message and we felt like it was especially poignant now in 2018, and we hope you’ll like our version of it," Tessa shifts around slightly on her seat to get more comfortable and waits while he pulls the guitar strap over his head and checks the tuning of all the strings.

She loves all the songs that they picked to perform tonight, but this one might be her favorite. There’s just something about Scott singing the beautifully simple melody while her harmony intertwines with it, and the touchingly earnest lyrics, that seeps into her bones and creates a sense of almost ethereal beauty.

“I learned the guitar for this, so bear with me here,” Scott chuckles dryly, getting the guitar situated exactly how he wants it on his lap and then nodding at her that he’s ready to begin.

She knows how anxious he’s been about this – the hours he’d spent holed up in their room strumming the chords over and over until he had them memorized, all the times she’s had to convince him that he doesn’t sound bad and isn’t going to let her down – so Tessa smiles the special smile she usually reserves for when they’re alone and squeezes his shoulder one last time before mouthing _you can do this_.

Scott takes a deep breath and begins to play.  

 

_I don't know you_

_But I want you_

_All the more for that_

_Words fall through me_

_And always fool me_

_And I can't react_

_And games that never amount_

_To more than they're meant_

_Will play themselves out_

_Take this sinking boat and point it home_

_We've still got time_

_Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice_

_You'll make it now_

_Falling slowly, eyes that know me_

_And I can't go back_

_Moods that take me and erase me_

_And I'm painted black_

_You have suffered enough_

_And warred with yourself_

_It's time that you won_

_Take this sinking boat and point it home_

_We've still got time_

_Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice_

_You'll make it now_

_Falling slowly_

_Sing your melody_

_I'll sing along_

The audience erupts in a cacophony of applause and Tessa catches a glimpse of a few wet eyes in the audience.

“Thank you,” Scott ducks his head bashfully and Tessa pats him on the back, rubbing his shoulders a little bit and grinning from ear to ear with pride.

Suddenly a woman towards the back of the room, who doesn’t sound entirely sober, shouts, “Get married!” and the room erupts with laughter, including Tessa who can’t help the surprised giggle the bursts free.

_I guess we were asking for this reaction with our behavior_ , she chuckles to herself, turning to look at Scott and expecting him to be laughing with everyone else, but instead he looks more like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Get married!?” Scott replies, huffing out a tiny little laugh, and Tessa can see the blush creeping up his neck and cheeks as he struggles to find a good reply to that.

She expects him to come up with a rejoinder, some clever response like he always does, to laugh it off and move on, but he seems completely thrown by the question so she does the first thing she can think of to save him – she slips off the barstool and starts to go down on one knee.

The audience cheers and Scott turns to look down at her. It takes him a second to realize what she’s doing, but when he does he doubles over in laughter – reaching out to grab her arm – and Tessa stands back up grinning happily.

_Crisis averted_.

“Oh man. This has happened in my dreams before, I think,” Scott says.

He’s clearly talking to himself, but unfortunately every word is picked up by the microphone and the audience laughs again as Tessa takes her turn to blush.

_Crisis NOT averted._

They haven’t talked about this. Sure, they live together now and things have been going well and she’s crazy about him and vice versa, but they’ve never actually broached the _marriage_ topic, and Tessa’s not sure what to think of the fact that the idea seemed to make him so uncomfortable, or of the revelation that he’s apparently had dreams about it.

“Anyway,” Scott drags out the word, becoming himself again and eliciting a few more chuckles, “Moving on.”

He puts the stools and guitar back where they belong and bumps her in the arm when she doesn’t move, and it takes her a moment to remember that she’s supposed to be introducing their next song, not obsessing over whether or not Scott wants to marry her and how she feels about that.

“Right!” She shouts a little too enthusiastically to make up for the awkward pause, “Let’s pick things back up a little. When I was growing up my older sister Jordan, who’s sitting over there,” Tessa waves and everyone turns to look at Jordan, who smiles even wider and waves more enthusiastically, “…Introduced me to one of Hollywood’s most classic films. We used to put on poodle skirts and do our hair up into perfect, bouncy ponytails and dance and sing along to every number. So, Jojo, this one’s for you,”

Their pianist gets fancy on the keys and Tessa grabs the microphone and saunters over to Scott, putting a little extra sway in her hips.

“Sandy?” He looks up at her with wide eyes and Tessa buries her free hand in his hair and twirls his whole head around.

“Tell me about it, stud.”

 

_I got chills_

_They're multiplying_

_And I'm losing control_

_Cause the power you're supplying_

_It's electrifying!_

_You better shape up_

_Cause I need a man_

_And my heart is set on you_

_You better shape up_

_You better understand_

_To my heart I must be true_

_Nothing left_

_Nothing left for me to do_

_You're the one that I want_

_Oo-oo-oo_

_The one that I want_

_Oo-oo-oo_

_The one that I want_

_Oo-oo-oo, the one I need_

_Oh, yes indeed_

 

They chase after each other back and forth across the small stage and they couldn’t be more in character if Scott had a letterman jacket and she’d been sewn into skintight black leggings. Danny and Sandy have taken over and it actually _does_ feel, well, electrifying.

It’s a cheesy duet, sure, but one that the audience clearly loves and they have a lot of fun performing, and Tessa’s almost sad when Scott pulls her into his arms and they sing out the last few notes.

They’re both breathing heavily, and she wants to kiss him so badly, but thankfully he seems to be in a little more control than she is because he lets go of her and introduces their last song.

“We’ve got one more song for you guys tonight. This next song is from a show you may have heard of, Moulin Rouge,” Scott grins as the audience goes wild and reaches for her hand, “I guess it’s pretty popular, eh?”

Tessa laughs along with everyone else and picks up where he left off, “Before we sing it though, we’d just like to take a moment to thank our managers for all that they’ve done for us, and Alex Timbers for giving both of us the chance of a lifetime to play these roles. We really feel so blessed to be bringing Christian and Satine to you this summer and we can’t wait to see you again at the Al Hirschfield theatre in June.”

Scott turns to her and begins singing. It’s not new for them anymore, but somehow it’s still special every time they get to sing the iconic song together, and Tessa knows she’ll always think of it as _their_ secret song. She never gets tired of the way Scott looks at her when they perform it – whether it’s in rehearsals or on stage or humming quietly in their bed.

 

_Never knew I could feel like this_

_Like I've never seen the sky before_

_Want to vanish inside your kiss_

_Every day I love you more and more_

_Listen to my heart_

_Can you hear it sing?_

_Telling me to give you everything_

_Seasons may change, winter to spring_

_But I love you until the end of time_

_Come what may, come what may_

_I will love you until my dying day_

_Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place_

_Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace_

_Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste_

_It all revolves around you_

_And there is no mountain too high_

_No river too wide_

_Sing out this song_

_And I'll be there by your side_

_Storm clouds may gather, stars may collide_

_But I love you, I love you, till the end of time_

_Come what may, come what may_

_I will love you until my dying day_

          

The song never fails to get a strong reaction and this time is no different, although most of the crowd is well on their way to being drunk now so there’s a lot more whooping and hollering than they’re used to, and Scott beams at her.

Tessa can see Jordan and Holly and Chiddy grinning at them from across the room and Jordan mouths _kiss him_ just as Holly makes a rather obscene gesture with her hands that has Tessa’s whole body flushing bright pink.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for,” Scott shouts, oblivious to the torture being inflicted on her by their friends, and a loud ticking sound starts playing from all the speakers, "Ten! Nine! Eight!”

_Seven_

_Six_

_Five_

_Four_

_Three_

_Two_

_One!_

Everyone screams and kisses each other and knock drinks together, pulling the tabs of the poppers the waiters had handed out and shooting confetti everywhere, and Scott pulls her in close and plants a wet kiss on her cheek with a loud smack.

“Happy New Year, Tess,” He whispers into her ear, just loud enough for her to hear him, and she squeezes his waist and smiles at him before stepping up to the mic to sing her last long, gesturing for the audience to join in and sing along.

_Should auld acquaintance be forgot,_

_And never brought to mind?_

_Should auld acquaintance be forgot,_

_And auld lang syne._

 

* * *

Fat, white snowflakes drift through the air as they walk up Broadway, past Columbus Circle, towards their apartment building, and Scott has a rather pleasant sense of surety that they’re going to be blanketed in snow by the morning. The perfect excuse to stay in and cuddle and do nothing – his favorite kind of day with Tess.

The streets are still full of people celebrating the new year and the chance of getting a taxi is pretty much nonexistent, so after bidding farewell to the owners and manager of the club and turning down drinks with Jordan, Holly, Chloe, and Chiddy, Scott had taken Tessa’s hand and started guiding her through the mass of bodies towards home.

“It’s been the perfect night,” She murmurs, tucking herself into his side, and Scott smiles and drops a kiss on top of the fluffy, knitted beanie covering her head. It matches the one he’s wearing – Christmas gifts from Kate that he wears with pride and Tessa with an air of forbearance (although secretly he suspects she loves it).

“Yeah? How was my _Maria_? Not too pitchy?” He can’t resist teasing her. He’d picked the song specifically with her in mind, after all, and he laughs loudly when she pinches his side through his coat and sticks her tongue out at him – pulling her in even closer.

“I’m not sure if I should be angry with you for not preparing me for that, or show you just how much I liked it the second we get home,” She grumbles, but Scott can tell by the way her mouth twitches slightly at the corners that she’s not really upset with him.

“If you’re asking me for my opinion, I vote for the second option.”

“Then let’s pick up the pace here,” She nudges his ribs with her elbow and gestures to the mass of bodies in front of them as if she could wave them away with the flick of her hand.

"I’m just trying to be considerate. Those heels don’t seem conducive to speed walking.”

“Well, what are you going to do about that?”

“This!” Scott grabs her arms and pulls her onto his back without warning and Tessa shrieks with laughter once she realizes what he’s doing – willingly letting him lift her into a piggyback ride.

Scott takes a minute to readjust her a little bit once she’s got her legs wrapped around his waist, smiling unapologetically at the people who give them a mixture of annoyed and strange looks as they walk past them.

“They probably think we’re drunk,” Tessa laughs, wrapping her arms a little tighter around his neck and propping her chin up on his shoulder so that her face is next to his.

“We are,” Scott grins and takes off at a quick pace, weaving in and out of the crowd with an impressive amount of skill, “Drunk on happiness.”

“Drunk on love?” Tessa asks, nipping his earlobe with her teeth and making him nearly trip over his own feet.

“That too,” He gulps, suddenly remembering what’s waiting for them at home.

He has a _plan_ for tonight. One that he’d been vaguely considering as they picked their music for the show and then had solidified while they were home for Christmas.

He’d been trying to hint at it with some of their songs, but he’s pretty sure Tessa hasn’t picked up on it, so he has no idea how she’s going to react when he finally pops the question that he's been dying to ask all night (even considering it once or twice on stage).

All he can really do is hope and pray that she doesn’t laugh him out of the building, or worse, break up with him.

 

Scott sets Tessa down once they’re outside their building, taking her hand as they head up the five flights of stairs it takes to get to their apartment – they’re supposed to have an elevator, but it’s been closed for repairs since before they moved in, and she leans on him heavily for support.

By the time they’ve reached their floor Tessa’s feet are dragging and her eyelids are drooping, and Scott knows he’s only got a limited amount of minutes before she succumbs to sleep where she’s standing and he’s forced to carry her to bed. Before he even has a chance to shut the front door behind them she's across the room, kicking off her heels and sagging down onto the couch in a heap.

“I. Am. Exhausted,” Tessa groans, enunciating each word with force, “That was fun, but so hard! Why was it so hard? I swear I’m not usually this tired after a show. I feel like I just ran a marathon. But, like, a vocal marathon.”

"That’s because we don’t usually get home at two in the morning,” Scott chuckles, heading towards the kitchen and trying to surreptitiously wipe his suddenly sweaty hands off on his jeans and feeling his heart start beating so fast it must be ready to stampede out of his chest.

He digs around in one of the cupboards, the one space in the tiny apartment he knows Tessa would never look, and finds the small black box he’d stashed there a few days ago after they’d returned from visiting their families for Christmas.  

Opening the lid, Scott double-checks that the ring is still sitting snuggly in its velvet casing, propped up properly so that the diamonds are front and center.

The ring is fairly simple – a silver band with a square diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds shaped to look kind of like leaves, none of them protruding out too high. It belonged to his Grandma Mac and dates back to the 1940’s and Scott prays that Tessa will like it. He knows she likes old, vintage things – movies and TV shows and Audrey Hepburn – so he’s banking on that carrying over to her taste in jewelry. Especially since he anticipates this one piece of jewelry staying on her hand for quite some time.

“Do we have any of those shortbread cookies that we brought back from your Mom’s house leftover?” Tessa mumbles from her spot on the couch, refusing to move, and Scott finds the bag on the counter and holds it up.

“Yeah. There’s a couple left.”

“Will you bring them to me? I _need_ them.”

“Sure, T,” Scott slips the box into his pocket and heads back into the living room, handing her the Ziploc bag and chuckling when she snatches it out of his hand and tosses a cookie into her mouth without preamble.

“Your mom has a gift. Do you think she can teach me to bake like this?”

“Um… I’m sure she’d be happy to try,” He hedges, laughing when Tessa pokes him in the ribs with her toes and glares at him.

“Rude. I think I might have some secret baking skills just waiting to emerge with the help of the right tutor,” She sniffs and Scott tickles the bottom of her foot. 

“You just keep thinkin’, Virtch, that’s what you’re good at." 

Tessa sticks her tongue out at him and Scott chuckles and starts massaging her aching feet, trying to work up the nerve to say what's on his mind.         

“Speaking of thinking,” He hesitates, his nerves returning. _Is it hot in here, or is it just me?_ He unbuttons the top couple rows of his shirt and spreads the fabric out a little, trying to remember how to breathe normally. “I’ve been doing some thinking of my own, actually.”

“Oh yeah? What about? Is it about the rug in the bedroom? Because I didn’t want to say anything, but I think we could really use a new one.”

“No it’s – what’s wrong with that rug? I picked it out myself when I moved here.”

“When you moved here almost _ten_ years ago. It doesn’t match our bedding set at all.”

“I - That’s – fine. That’s not what I was thinking about.”

"Oh," Tessa cocks her head and sets the cookie bag down on the coffee table, "Then what is it?”

“You know that thing that lady shouted at us tonight?” Scott begins, scratching nervously at his jaw. 

“I want to have your babies?” She grins, quoting the heckler who had shouted at him as they'd left the building. 

“No!” Scott’s cheeks heat up and he just knows he’s turning beet red, and Tessa laughs and kisses him on the cheek. “The other thing.”

“You mean the ‘get married’ thing?”

“Yeah.”

“It was a little rude," Tessa says slowly, her green eyes watching him like a hawk, "But not exactly surprising. She was probably drunk and we did sing a lot of love songs.”

"Right. I’m not _complaining_. I just-“

“What is it?”

“When I said I’d dreamt about it before, it was something more like this,” He swallows around the lump of fear in his throat and slowly gets down on one knee in front of where she’s sitting on the couch.

Tessa’s face is unreadable as she watches him, her green eyes going as wide as saucers and her mouth forming a little O when he pulls the box out of his pocket and opens it.

“Scott,” She starts to speak, her voice thick with some sort of emotion, but Scott holds up his hand to stop her. 

“Tess, let me just- let me get this out, please,” He stammers, hardly daring to look at her as he tries to remember even the smallest piece of the speech he’d written. Unfortunately, it all seems to have left his brain the second he knelt down, because he can’t remember much more than _I love you._

_It’s fine, I’ll start with that and wing it,_ he gulps and finally looks up at her, “Tess, I love you. From the moment you bumped into me – okay, I bumped into you,” He corrects himself before she can, earning a small chuckle, “You turned my world upside down. I never expected that when Karen dropped out of Moulin Rouge it would turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. You’re amazing, Tessa Virtue. You make my world better every day just by being in it, and these last six months with you have been the best in my life. I know this is fast, but I’m so, _so_ in love with you. I want to spend the rest of my life singing duets with you. Tessa, will you marry me?”

Scott gulps and _waits_ , trying not to falter as he looks up at her with as much love and devotion in his eyes as he can silently express. Tessa had put her hand over her mouth sometime around his second or third sentence and her eyes have filled with tears, so he has no idea how she’s feeling, and as the seconds stretch on he feels his stomach tying itself into knots worth of a Boy Scout merit badge.

“Tess, please say something,”

She makes a strange choking sound and clasps his hand with hers, and he realizes _she’s crying_ , but she’s also _smiling_ – radiant and bright - and Scott feels like he’s going to burst into confetti like the poppers at the bar.

“Yes,” She chokes out, grabbing his face with both her hands and pulling him up for a warm kiss, “Yes, of course I’ll marry you.”

"You will?" He asks, needing to hear it again. Just one more time and then maybe every day until the wedding. 

"Hmmm, well now that I've thought about it, your choice in baseball teams-"

"Tessa!" He cuts her off and she laughs in delight, squirming when he tickles her in retaliation. 

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" She shouts, trying desperately to get away from his merciless hands, their laughter filling the room until the people who live below them start banging on the ceiling. 

"Shhh!" Scott whispers so loudly he's pretty sure their whole building heard him and Tessa breaks out in another round of giggles - her eyes sparkling with happiness that Scott's sure must be reflected in his own. 

"Sorry," Tessa manages to say, but she doesn't look sorry at all and Scott grins at her, "Maybe we should take this in the other room?" 

"I do believe celebrations are in order," Scott stands up and scoops her up off the couch, carrying her bridal style into their bedroom. 

        

Later, when they’re lying tangled in the sheets together and the only light in the room comes from the glow of the city through the snow falling outside, he catches her staring at the ring on her finger.

"Do you like it?" He whispers, nuzzling her hair and breathing in the comforting scent of strawberries. 

“I _love_ it. Where did you get it?” She tilts her head back so that she can look at him better and Scott reaches up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek and neck as he does. 

“My Grandma. She handed it to me right after you met her and said, ‘Scott, that girl is special. Don’t mess this up or you’ll be kicked out of the family.’”

“She did not!” Tessa swats his chest and Scott laughs as he pulls her in closer to his side, stroking her spine with his fingers and making her shiver with promises of things to come...  _again_. 

“Maybe not those exact words, but she did give it to me after meeting you while we were there for Christmas. She said it had brought her the happiest years in her life, and it would do the same for us," He punctuates that statement with a kiss before continuing, "I’ve been thinking about proposing since Thanksgiving, to be honest, but I wasn’t _sure_ until I saw the ring. I just knew it belonged on your finger, and I didn’t want to start 2019 without putting it there.”

“I’m glad you didn’t wait. Tonight was perfect,” She leans up just enough to kiss him, tracing his bottom lip with her tongue before pulling back slightly – chuckling when Scott tries to follow her mouth with his and pouts when she denies him. “Happy New Year, Scott.”

“Happy New Year, Tess.”

         

**Author's Note:**

> In their world a CD would eventually be released for their performance and this would be the track listing: 
> 
> People Will Say We’re in Love – Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir  
> Intro: Welcome, Eh?  
> Anything You Can Do – Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir  
> Intro: Something Good  
> Maria – Scott Moir  
> Sparkling Diamonds – Tessa Virtue  
> Intro: This is the Greatest Show  
> A Million Dreams – Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir  
> Intro: A Little Broadway  
> If I Loved You/To Make You Feel My Love – Scott Moir  
> Intro: Tangled Up Together  
> I See the Light – Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir  
> Intro: My First Musical  
> Moon River – Tessa Virtue  
> Intro: Jealousy  
> Rolling in the Deep/Crazy – Scott Moir  
> Intro: Let’s do Broadway Again  
> Falling Slowly – Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir  
> Intro: Pink Ladies Forever  
> You’re the One that I Want – Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir  
> Intro: Welcome to the Moulin Rouge  
> Come What May - Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir  
> Auld Lang Syne – Tessa Virtue


End file.
